Clip for the adjustable attachment of partitions in showcases and the like



A. STOBER Feb. 22, 1938.

CLIP FOR THE ADJUSTABLE ATTACHMENT OF PARTITIONS IN SHOWCASES AND THE LIKE Filed July '7, 1936 Patented Feb. 22, 1933 UNiT-ED srarss CLIP FOR THE. ADJUSTABLEFATTAGHMENT OF PARTITIONS IN SHOWCASES AND THE LIKE Albert Stober, Berlin-Pankow, Germany Application July 7, 1936, Serial No. 89,435 In-Germany August 21, 1935 2 Claims.

This invention relates to the adjustable attachment of vertical partitions, more particularly for the partitions of show-cases and the like.

It is usual, particularly in retail businesses, to display goods or articles for sale on the counter in glass showcases or other display cases which are subdivided in suitable fashion. The partitions bounding these divisions or compartments must be capable of being readily exchanged or interchanged as desired for the purpose of being able to form any other compartments of desired size.

Heretofore these partitions have been secured in position by means of holders which have been cast or stamped out from sheet steel. The attachment has been effected by screwing or clamping to other plates, by placing the holders over special rails or other members so as to slide thereon, or by introducing a foot portion composed of sheet metal into suitable apertures in the bottom.

Owing to the rigid construction of the bent foot portion in the case of the known clamping means, these latter, inter alia, have been found to possess a very indifferent hold in the said apertures, these rigid foot portions being quite unable to compensate in resilient fashion the inaccuracies caused by production or as a result of atmospheric conditions in the said apertures in the wooden bottom of the show-case.

It is the object of the invention to overcome the disadvantage aforesaid, and this is accomplished by the fact that the wire clip, which consists, for example, of a thin steel wire bent in U- shaped fashion and extending outwardly in desired arcuate form, possesses two resiliently expanding arms, which for the purpose of adjustment are introduced tightly but resiliently into apertures which are provided in any desired number in pairs in the bottom of the showcase, so that a good hold is always obtained even in the case of apertures which are not completely accurate. The partitions, which may be composed of glass or the like, are inserted endwise in tightly resilient fashion between the upright portions of each two clips, and owing to the resiliency any differences in the thickness of the partitions is at once compensated. The desired location of the partitions is obtained simply by introducing the clips into the corresponding apertures in the bottom, which are so small as to be hardly visible.

The invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a possible form of embodiment.

Fig. v1 is ,a;p,e rspe ctive view showing a portion of a display case.

Fig. 2 is a front view of a clip, and showing in dotted lines the terminal arms in freely expanded position before being inserted in apertures of a show case.

Fig. 3 being an elevational View thereof, and

Figs. 4-6 elevational views of other embodiments of the clip.

The clip, which is shown for example in front view in Fig. 2 and in elevational view in Fig. 3, is preferably composed of a thin piece of stainless steel wire or other suitable. material, which is bent in approximately U-shaped fashion.

The downwardly extending arms a are of equal length and are of a resiliently expanding nature at their ends, whilst the upper portions, proceeding approximately from the middle point I), are bent equally into curved or other form, such as shown in Figs. 3 to 6, to be then united by the transverse connecting member 0. Between the points I) and the connecting member 0 the upper portions of the arms, as shown in Fig. 2, are no longer exactly parallel, but are bent equally and arcuately inwards as at d. In this way, owing to the natural resiliency, the partition composed of glass, wood or the like introduced between the upper portions of the clips are firmly held and any difference in the thickness of the partitions is at once compensated. With the exception of the clip in Fig. 4 the upper portions of the remaining clips (Figs. 3, 5 and 6) are first bent in desired arcuate form from the point b towards the front and then towards the rear, the resiliency thus being increased. For example, in the case of Fig. 5, the straight and parallel embodiment of the portions e and 1 permits of a compensated and improved hold, particularly in the case of large glass partitions of difierent thickness.

The use of the clips is illustrated, for example, in Fig. 1. A bottom or base g, having side walls 71. of a desired nature, is furnished along the longitudinal edges with apertures or borings 2', which are disposed in pairs and into which the clips are introduced with the straight, resiliently expanding ends after they have been caused to assume by pressure of the finger and thumb the approximately parallel position shown, whereupon by reason of their resiliency they press outwards and are firmly held in position. The dotted lines in Fig. 2 represent the freely expanded position of the arms before being inserted into the openings. The partitions a may be introduced in tightly resilient fashion into each two oppositely disposed clips, and their position may be varied as desired by inserting the clips in other apertures or borings i.

The subject matter of the invention may naturally also be employed for various other purposes.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A clip for the adjustable attachment of partitions in show-cases and the like, comprising a piece of resilient wire bent in an inverted and substantially U-shaped fashion and including an intermediate connecting portion and two arms continuing therefrom, said arms being resiliently expanding at their free terminal portion and converging arcuately inwards toward each other between a point intermediate of their length and the intermediate connecting portion, and in which said inwardly extending arcuately curved portions of said arms are also arcuately bent in a direction at right angles to said arcuately bent portions, and the terminal portions being arranged in a plane parallel to but offset from the intermediate connecting portion.

{2. A clip for the adjustable attachment of partitions and the like, comprising a piece of resilient material bent upon itself to provide an intermediate connecting portion, two arms, the said arms being resiliently expanding at their free terminal portions and converging arcuately inwards toward each other between a. point intermediate of their length and the intermediate connecting portion, the terminal portions being situated in a plane parallel to but offset from the intermediate connecting portion, and in which said inwardly extending arcuately curved portions of said arms are also arcuately bent in a direction at right angles to Said arcuately bent portions, the free terminal portions of said clip being adapted to be introduced into apertures provided in desired numbers in pairs in the bottom of a show-case.

ALBERT STOBER. 

